Tackling the Racial Diversity Challenge in Tech

A notable expert in science and technology outlines his plan for encouraging inner-city kids of color to aspire to be the next Steve Jobs, not Jay Z.

I have a lot in common with many smart and talented inner-city youth. I grew up in the Baruch Housing Projects in Manhattan. When I was a teenager, I was extremely fortunate to be mentored by Bert Jordan, an African-American engineering professor.

How can we help kids of color aspire to be the next Steve Jobs, not Jay Z?(Source: Getty)

Mentorship is an all-important initiative. Children in the inner cities gravitate to images they see on television and the cloud. They routinely are exposed to rappers, sports figures, and entertainers, but no technologists of color (African and Hispanic Americans).

Male inner-city children would rather be the next Jay Z or Lebron James, not Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates. Female inner-city children aspire to become the next Beyonce or Serena Williams, not Meg Whitman or Virginia Rometty.

This may seem radical, but I believe that teaching children of color about coding and building robots is an outdated and silly concept. It's too late. Why not begin teaching them general engineering concepts and how to become technocrats while they are still in kindergarten?

All engineers should be mentors
Google's leadership should be given credit for acknowledging publicly the problem of racial diversity. Yet companies like Google are spending millions on programs that teach young people about abstract coding concepts. Why isn't every tech giant teaching kids of color about their specific technologies (search engineers, for example) and using their in-house experts as instructors?

In fact, all engineers need to step up and be mentors.

For years, there has been an effort to force Congress to push through bills to make it easier for technically skilled immigrants to receive green cards and stay in America. However, the really smart companies and countries always bet on homegrown talent. They don't go home to somewhere else at the end of the day.

Recommendations for achieving racial diversity in tech
Teaching inner-city youth what it means to be a technocrat and about technology is all-important. I have hosted, educated, and mentored hundreds of children of color, but we need to do much more to solve this complex problem.

Below are my recommendations.

Achieve a diversity on corporate boards that reflects America, and work to ensure that these board members have proven, hands-on leadership in poor and inner-city communities.

Identify and support role models of color.

Large tech companies should form visible partnerships with small companies founded by people of color.

Host state-of-the-art seminars with people of color in lead roles and CEOs from major technology companies participating.

Create a diversity trust fund, with each tech giant investing a billion dollars.

Create and build innovative schools throughout the country based on sports and music.

Build high-tech products in inner cities and poor communities.

Hire youth of color to work in technology companies full-time in the summer and part-time doing the school year.

Create pools of investment capital exclusively for tech companies that are founded by people of color and are creating innovative technologies and products. Provide government and local community oversight.

The community of people we view as the leaders in creativity and innovation needs to be expanded to include youth of color and must be embraced and respected as the norm.

Publicize and celebrate the accomplishments of African-American and Latino scientists and engineers.

The government needs a Marshall plan to push forward the issue of racial diversity in the technology industry, with the president and Congress carefully monitoring all activities.

News media should regularly cover innovation companies of color and diversity issues in technology that affect us all.

Professor Wilbert Quincy Murdock was born on the Fourth of July. A notable expert, he has been involved in science and technology for more than four decades.

@Chipmonk: three cheers, a whoop and a holler! WELL SAID, as susan Rambo also echoed my sentiments.

The comparison with Asian immigrants (that Cheapmonk was making) is not a fair one. How ever, I must also point out that there are many Asian immigrants who come from very poor and under-educated backgrounds to the US but a big difference is they don't carry the baggage coming from discrimination and deprivation that inner city people in the US do, no where close.

I believe in another generation or so we will see less of these discussions about racial diversity. IMHO, the ability to learn has NOTHING to do with one's racial background, it is the opportunity to learn in a safe and affordable environment that enables it.

I'm not disagreeing with you -- but it generally behooves a visitor to smile a lot and not say much until he/she has the full lay of the land. If I were to visit Australia, for example, I doubt my hosts would be delighted if, as soon as I stepped off the plane, I started waffling on about how the Aborigines are treated as second-class citizens. Similarly, if I ever make it to New Zealand to do the "Lord of the Rings" tour, I probably won't commence my visit by holding forth on how the Maori are held in such high esteem by the Pakeha.

Sorry, I don't mean to be baiting anybody... it was an honest impression based on actual events encounted during my first 36 hours.

I must have missed Rush's humor... either that or the joke relied on a shared cultural frame of reference that I am not part of. I just found it crass enough to be memorable.

It was on the local news radio channel that the rental car was tuned to when I pushed the 'on' button before driving for an hour from Atlanta airport. I really wasn't listening that hard I was trying to concentrate on driving the the other side of the road for the first time in 10 years.

The pamplet incident most probably wasn't by the syndicated host but during the local news segment. A three word google was enough to find an related news article that seems to be the same events:

- "Goodluck Jonathan - what where his parents thinking? Did they just..."

I listened to Rush's show the day he was picking on Mr. Good Luck's first name. He's not the first one to do so (Sen. McCain) but I would implore you that to understand Rush's humor you need to listen for a long while. It's more sophisticated than you might think. And funny, I didn't hear anything about the KKK in that segment, or in the last 20 years. Why in the world would you lump those two together? Hmmm, very suspicious indeed. Make all the comments about our diverse, non-socialist culture that you want, but please leave out the race-baiting.

I have tried to be open-eyed about racial issues while I am visiting the USA, but I just keep seeing america's racial divide everywhere. Every time I see a janitor/service worker, every time I order a Subway, walking round in a Sears store it seems all these places staff are African American. About the only exceptions I have seen are an elderly chinese women who was on the cleaning crew at the airport, and a latin american cleaner here at the hotel (who appears to be the shift leader).

Maybe it is an Atlanta thing, but I'm starting to think that it isn't. The racial splits of those in front and behind of the counter at airline check-in have pretty much put the nail in the coffin. And I've learnt that if you are at a check-in assistance counter and there is only one white guy out of a dozen staff then you better hope you don't get the white guy.

I listen to the radio and the KKK have been handing out pamplets in Atlanta, What made news was that somebody challenged them and asked them to stop. WFT! I just can't beleive it - the KKK are still active? And then the host is making fun of the Nigerian President's name - "Goodluck Jonathan - what where his parents thinking? Did they just..." or something such drivel like that. Would he be beating up on Faith Hill for the same reason?

A very strange land indeed. I am not surprised that the USA has diversity issues in tech. It has enough diversity issues to keep it busy for a very long time.

I think that the USA's "everything is a competition, and you have to be on the top of the pile" isn't helping. If you have the option to advance "your team" in the game (be that based on race, religion or politcical views) then is seems you do it, maybe without even knowing.

Perhaps if the culture as that you don't judge yourself by how financially rich you are, but by how the well the poorest and least advantaged lived it would be fairer society and these racial issues would disappear. It might also help with homeless people - it shocks me to see all these people living out on the streets.

What the USA should be worring about is that there will come a time when Asian tech workers won't want to come here because of diversity issues and develop a premium IT industry at home.

Does the USA make any PCs, tablets, cell phones, laptops, hard drive, LCDs, TVs on shore or is it all imported from offshore? Do large S/W companies (MS, Oracle, SAP...) do the majority of their development offshore now? No wonder why there is a race to get "your team" to the top of the heap, leaving the other teams to flip burgers and clean floors for minimum wage.

I agree with you, Chipmonk. Well said -- you have to consider the history. Also it's important to get as many talented kids exposed to math and science. It's as good a tool as any to help improve the people's lives and it's fascinating.

@ chEApmonk : imitation is not always flattery, in business it is counterfeit / fraud

if you are going to post such unbalanced drivel then kindly stop mimicking my Username ( chIpmonk ) and use whatever originality / imagination you have to get yourself a different handle.

as to the content of your post : comparing African Americans to recent Asian / Indian immigrants is sheer IDIOCY no matter how self-serving it is. You are ignoring 200+ years of Slavery, domination, subjugation, institutionalized discrimination and deprivation ( including separating Families, denying dignity, motivation, self respect, education, an income) with Fresh Off the Boat bright eyed immigrants many of who are already well educated.

And in case your limited horizon did not inform you why these immigrants can come unchecked you need to know that the Civil Rights movement led by MLK etc. is also behind the 1965 repeal of the '20s era racial law in the US that kept Asian immigrants out.

If you are a non European immigrant in this country then the least you can do is to publicly thank African Americans for breaking down racial barriers. You can start by posting on this board - and THEN CHANGE YOUR USERNAME

No mention of all the Asians and Indians who are doing extremely well ; they're even over represented in all the top universities and in the top research scientists. Many are CEOs of their own company. Apparently, they don't need any help.